Only alternative I can think of is to try it on a lower order creature e.g. if you have a shrimp colony going they are better indicators of water quality than fish. Unfortunately I can't think of anything else to test pollution. The other option, although more expensive, is to put the water through some chemical filtration (e.g. carbon) before use._________________Fishing in the Rivers of Light

Mm, not sure to be honest - mystery snails are pretty tough critters. To be honest even shrimp are not a perfect measure, I had a problem with tap water recently and no RCS were affected at all, just the fish. It's a starting point.

I don't think you'll be able to conclude anything from a pH test. I am of the opinion that this is possibly the most useless test kit commonly available as any result can be interpreted multiple ways..._________________Fishing in the Rivers of Light